'Women's spa, salon': Why Taliban are going from spring offensive to charm offensive

‘Women’s spa, salon’: Why Taliban are going from spring offensive to charm offensive

The Taliban are now trying to charm tourists and bring them to Afghanistan after years of conflict and turmoil in the country.

Driving the news

• Taliban have opened a tourism and hotel management institute in Kabul to train professionals in this field.
• Around 30 male students of varying ages, education levels and professional experiences are attending the first batch of this institute. Women are not allowed to study beyond 6th grade under Taliban rule. The students are keen to promote a different, more positive side of Afghanistan to the world.
• Students at the institute range widely in age and background, from a teenage boy with no job history to a model looking to use his training for social media influence. Despite their diverse profiles, these men share a common goal of promoting Afghanistan’s lesser-known cultural and historical facets.

Zoom in

• The numbers aren’t huge — they never were — but there’s a buzz around Afghan tourism. In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that figure rose to 2,300.
• And last year, there were 7,000. Mohammad Saeed, the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul, said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because of its proximity and large population.
• A topic of question is how to interact with foreign women and how their behavior or habits could clash with local customs and edicts. The restrictions on Afghan women and girls weigh on overseas travel companies, who say they try to focus on the positive aspect of cultural interactions by making donations, supporting local projects or only visiting family-run businesses.

Why it matters

• Afghanistan is often seen through the lens of its political turmoil and societal restrictions, particularly on women and girls.
• However, the opening of this institute signals a potential shift in focus towards economic development through tourism.
• The institute represents a strategic move by the Taliban to boost tourism and change perceptions of Afghanistan globally.
• In a sign that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors, the country’s only five-star hotel, the Serena, has reopened its women’s spa and salon for foreign females after a monthslong closure.

What they are saying

• “We have 5,000 years of history. There should be a new page of Afghanistan,” expressed business school graduate Samir Ahmadzai, underlining the narrative the institute hopes to amplify amidst prevailing global views of the country as war-torn and backward.
• Shane Horan, the founder of Rocky Road Travel, stressed that travel to Afghanistan does not imply support for any particular government or political regime. He said, “Ultimately, the goal should be to support responsible tourism practices that contribute positively to the local economy and foster mutual respect and understanding, while also remaining cognizant of the broader political context in Afghanistan.”

What next

• Obtaining visas is challenging and costly. Following the Taliban’s return to power, several countries cut diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, and none acknowledge the Taliban as the country’s legitimate government.
• Additionally, many Afghan embassies have shut down or halted their functions. A power struggle persists between the embassies and consulates operated by staff from the previous Western-supported government and those now under complete control of the Taliban administration.
• The future of this initiative is fraught with uncertainty, as it not only depends on the institute’s ability to effectively train and empower its students but also on the broader socio-political climate in Afghanistan.
• The ongoing exclusion of women from higher education and the workforce remains a significant barrier to the country’s acceptance and normalization on the global stage, potentially limiting the success of such forward-looking projects.

(With inputs from agencies)

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